Strength of Acetate
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Strength of Acetate
How do we know acetic acid, , is a weak acid? And what does this mean for acetate, its conjugate base?
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Re: Strength of Acetate
I think we're just supposed to know that acetic acid is a common weak acid. For its conjugate base, since it is a weak acid, its conjugate base is strong. When we talk about a conjugate base or acid, they are still weak too, but they are relatively stronger in the sense that they will react.
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Re: Strength of Acetate
Acetic acid is a weak acid because it does not completely dissociate when dissolved in water. This is likely due to the H atom's bond with oxygen, which has a shorter bond length compared to the likes of strong acids such as HCl, HBr, and HI. What differentiates acetic acid from non-binary strong acids like H2SO4 and HNO3 is the fact that CH3COOH does not have any atoms with electronegativity high enough to stabilize electron density around the H atom, which makes it harder for the H atom to be removed and indicates a weaker acid.
The incomplete dissociation of acetic acid allows the acid-base reaction to be reversible. Therefore, what this means for the conjugate base CH3COO- is that it can easily accept H+ to form acetic acid again.
The incomplete dissociation of acetic acid allows the acid-base reaction to be reversible. Therefore, what this means for the conjugate base CH3COO- is that it can easily accept H+ to form acetic acid again.
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